Coos Bay Mingus Park Vietnam Memorial Vandalized

Coos Bay Police received a report this morning (Monday) that the Mingus Park Vietnam Memorial had been vandalized. Vandals painted in black “REMOVE” on the upper cross beam and “CUT” with a dotted line on the base just above the plaque. The memorial became the center of controversy after the City of Coos Bay had received a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation in February requesting the removal of the memorial as they believe its shape, a cross, is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. Shortly after taking public comment on April 2 the city retained the services of constitutional attorneys from the Liberty Institute to assess the constitutionality of the memorial. The city has not received a determination at this time. The vandalism to the memorial in Mingus Park is under investigation.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 20th, 2013 and is filed under Local News.